It's all very well Maria Miller promising to put "unrelenting pressure"
on internet companies to block child abuse images from the web. Yet, says Cathy
Newman, there's something a bit Emperor's New Clothes about the
Government's sudden desire to castigate Google.

There's something a bit Emperor's New Clothes about the Government's sudden desire to castigate Google.

This morning we heard the culture secretary Maria Miller promising to put "unrelenting pressure" on internet companies to block child abuse images from the web. Yet her Government has spent the last three years cosying up to Google, forging links with its executive, and extolling its virtues.

So after months of public criticism of the company, are we to believe that ministers have finally seen the light?

The prevalence of child abuse imagery online has been brought into sharp focus after the convictions of the child murderers Mark Bridger and Stuart Hazell- both of whom had acquired an online library of violent child pornography before they killed.

Speaking before today's Whitehall "summit" of web firms, Mrs Miller said: "Child abuse images are horrific and widespread public concern has made it clear that the industry must take action. Enough is enough. In recent days we have seen these companies rush to do more because of the pressure of an impending summit. Imagine how much more can be done if they seriously turn their minds to tackling the issue. Pressure will be unrelenting."

Tough words indeed. You can almost imagine the steam coming out of the culture secretary's keyboard as those words were typed.

But they'd have more force if ministers had kept more of a distance from the likes of Google.

David Cameron's former director of strategy Steve Hiltonis married to Google's head of comms Rachel Whetstone.

The PM was also a guest at the wedding of Google executive Naomi Gummer and the company's former European PR supremo Amy Fisher now advises the justice secretary.

And a Freedom of Information request last year showed that Conservative ministers have held meetings with Google an average of once a month since the 2010 election.

Is this why the Government has until now been reluctant to force the industry to act? It's impossible to say. But it is nevertheless the case that when it comes to the issue of blocking online content, tough rhetoric from the prime minister down hasn't been followed by equally tough action.

Admittedly, there are questions over how effective any blocks would be. The likes of Bridger and Hazell would no doubt get their hands on inappropriate or illegal material if they were determined enough to do so.

But the perception remains, rightly or wrongly, that the internet firms repeatedly run rings round the government